On that day, not merely the weak, but the mightiest individuals faced humiliation, and divine wrath would fall upon them without end. Although they had previously endured the Lord’s anger, it had not resulted in complete and utter devastation. What purpose does it serve now to recount the profound disasters they experienced during these captivities, how those who rejected the Lord’s light stumbled in darkness and despair, while those who turned away from the solemn calls of sacred days encountered the dreadful shouts of warriors? Regarding the fortified cities and high towers of Judea that were laid to waste, it seems preferable to witness these ruins firsthand rather than rely on hearsay; those of us in the region can clearly attest to the truth of what is recorded. From the once-great cities, we now see little more than faint vestiges of ruins. At Shiloh, where the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant once stood, only the foundations of the altar remain. Gibeah, the renowned city of Saul, lies completely destroyed (Judg. 20:20). Of Ramah, Bethoron, and other significant cities erected by Solomon, only remnants survive as small communities. Let us explore the writings of Josephus and the prophecy of Zephaniah, which detail this history. It should be noted not only about the captivities, but even now, the treacherous mercenaries, after having mistreated the servants of God and even His Son, can no longer access Jerusalem freely; instead, they must pay to mourn over their city’s ruins, thus those who once sought to purchase Christ’s blood now buy their tears, lest their mourning be devoid of cost. On the anniversary of Jerusalem’s capture and destruction by the Romans, one can observe crowds coming, deeply sorrowful—aged women and men dressed in rags visibly embodying the wrath of God, both in their physical state and attire. The sorrows of the unfortunate gather, while the instrument of the Lord’s execution radiates the rays of His resurrection, and the sign of the cross flashes brightly from the Mount of Olives. Yet amid this, the grief-stricken populace laments over the ruins of the temple, drawing no compassion; their tears flow unabated, their hands stained red, their hair disheveled, while soldiers demand fees for the privilege of shedding more tears. Who witnessing this could question the reality of such a day filled with suffering and solace, desolation and anguish, darkness and despair, mist and tempest, the resounding of trumpets and battle cries? Indeed, in their affliction, they sound trumpets, and as prophesied, the notes of celebration have turned into wails. They mourn the ashes of the sanctuary, the destroyed altar, the fallen strongholds, and the high walls of the temple from which Jacob, the Lord’s brother, was once cast down. This narrative applies to the Jewish captivities. However, if we link the Lord’s day to the world’s end or the death of every individual, the meaning becomes clear: the sound of the Lord’s day carries a heavy burden, fraught with unavoidable calamities and wrath, tormenting even the strongest; for the righteous, though saved, do so as if through fire. That day signals torment and constriction, desolation and distress, causing them to cry out, "Woe to us, for we are brought low." It shall be a day of darkness, as those who commit evil despise the light and do not come to the light (John 3:20); consequently, darkness envelops those who reject the light. That day will feature mist and tempest, for the fury of the Lord will descend upon it, accompanied by the resounding of trumpets, as the Apostle indicates in the phrase, "At the last trumpet" (1 Cor. 15:52); indeed, it will be a day of trumpet sounds and battle calls against the fortified cities they built within their transgressions, aligning themselves with Cain, and against the high towers symbolizing the sinful actions of those straying from the Lord’s path. Therefore, the hypocrites, the Pharisees, who perform their pious acts in public squares, have received rebuke from the Savior (Matthew 6:5). The path leading to heaven is narrow, while the road to destruction is broad and winding (Matthew 7:13). At the same time, one can perceive both mercy and severity in the Lord's stern declarations: this day is marked by bitterness and wrath, torment, trumpet blasts, and war cries, designed to shatter fortified cities and reduce the strongholds of destruction to ruins.
THEOSIS